Nasu Orgel Museum: Antique Music Boxes in the Highlands

Orgel is the Japanese word for music box, and the Nasu Orgel Museum keeps a collection of them that stretches from pocket sized trinkets to elaborate antique machines from the golden age of European craftsmanship. It sits in the Nasu highlands of Tochigi, a genteel resort area of forests, galleries and dairy farms, and it delivers exactly what the resort plateau does best: a small, charming diversion done with care.

Hearing the collection

The difference between seeing a music box and hearing one is everything, and the museum runs regular demonstration sessions where staff wind up and play pieces from the collection, explaining their mechanisms as they go. The sound of a large antique disc machine filling a room has surprising presence, closer to a small orchestra than the tinkle you might expect. Between sessions you browse the displays at your own pace, and the shop, stocked with music boxes at every price point, is dangerous for anyone with gift shopping left to do.

Getting there

Nasu is reached via Nasushiobara Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen, a little over an hour from Tokyo. The museum sits up on the plateau among Nasu’s other attractions, and while local buses serve the highland road, services are sparse; a taxi or rental car makes the area far easier to explore. Most visitors treat the museum as one stop on a Nasu day that might also take in the alpacas, cheese shops and outlet mall the area is known for.

Frequently asked questions

Is it worthwhile for children? Yes, the demonstrations hold kids surprisingly well, and the automata raise smiles at any age.

How long does a visit take? Under an hour, plus however long the shop detains you.

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